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Borno State Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening access to healthcare for children across the state. UNICEF Health Specialist, Dr Hassan Saidu Malgwi, stated this while addressing young champions of the Adopt-A-PHC-Naija Challenge in Maiduguri on Thursday. Dr Malgwi said every child born in Borno State and across the North-East deserves access to immunisation and essential healthcare services to survive and thrive. According to him, UNICEF will continue to leverage its partnerships and influence to expand healthcare access and intensify efforts to combat child-killer diseases such as polio, malnutrition and other preventable illnesses affecting children. “Today, we celebrate a remarkable achievement and your tireless efforts, which have brought us closer to a future where every child in the North-East is protected from vaccine-preventable diseases. “This three-month challenge has demonstrated the power of youth-led advocacy, partnership, volunteerism, innovation and community-driven solutions. Through your creativity, passion and dedication, you have reached the unreached, mobilised communities and inspired a new wave of champions for child health,” Malgwi said. He added that the participants had helped identify and support zero-dose children, ensuring they received the vaccines needed for healthy development. “This is a monumental step towards a healthier and more equitable future for our region. UNICEF commends each of you for your unwavering commitment to this cause. Your energy is contagious, and your impact will be felt for generations to come,” he added. Dr Malgwi further urged the young participants to continue championing the rights of every child to a healthy start in life, noting that the initiative aligns with one of the pillars of the Borno State 25-Year Development Plan. He expressed appreciation to the Government of Canada for supporting the challenge and reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to working with the Borno State Government and other partners to improve the wellbeing of children. Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Prof Mohammed Arab Alhaji — represented by Fati Ali, Director of Disease Control and Immunization, said the state government remains fully committed to strengthening primary healthcare as the foundation of an equitable health system. “Through the Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Board, we continue to expand access, improve service delivery and ensure that every child, mother and family can reach a functional, trusted and youth-friendly health facility,” she said. She noted that the Adopt-A-PHC-Naija Challenge reflects the spirit of collaboration and innovation that drives the state’s healthcare vision. The challenge, implemented by the Foundation for Alternative Learning in Underserved Communities with support from UNICEF and the Government of Canada, mobilised and trained 30 youth advocates who worked across 10 primary healthcare centres in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Jere. Their activities reached about 900,000 individuals through house-to-house mobilisation, radio broadcasts and digital storytelling to dispel myths and promote trust in vaccination. “Over 11,900 caregivers were directly engaged, and our communities recorded a 44 per cent increase in routine immunisation uptake, surpassing the project’s 25 per cent target. These are not just statistics, they represent real children now protected,” she said. Prof Arab commended the young advocates for their dedication, saying they had demonstrated that with the right support, young people could drive measurable impact in public health.
